


One Half of a Whole

by Sassy_Writer



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Depression, Hurt/Comfort, Past Character Death, Post-Hogwarts, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-11-06 00:46:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11025045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sassy_Writer/pseuds/Sassy_Writer
Summary: After the war ends, the Weasley family finds itself faced with the tragedy of burying Fred. Most of the family struggle their way through returning to a normal life, while George struggles to find the strength to leave his room everyday. When George collapses at a quidditch game, his family finally realizes just how far from ok he is.





	One Half of a Whole

**Author's Note:**

> This story really hurt to write, but I couldn't get the idea out of my head. I hope you enjoy!

Fred's funeral was a somber affair. It was an open casket ceremony so everyone saw the smile that had been on his face when he died. George hadn't even been able to make it a minute into his speech before he was crying too hard to keep speaking. Molly quickly gathered him into her arms and pulled him offstage. Percy could barely look at anyone in his family, thinking about how he had abandoned his family at the start of the war and returned just in time to put that smile on Fred's face before he died. The ceremony ended with the setting off of a firework that spelled out  _Fred Weasley_ in acknowledgment of the moment at Hogwarts that made sure the Weasley twins would be remembered in infamy.

The wake was held at the Burrow with all his friends, family, and the colleagues he and George met through their joke shop. The Weasley family tried using this as a way to grieve with friends and move on peacefully, however George had difficulty with this. He lasted ten minutes at the wake before he closed himself off in his old room. Only that didn't help. Remnants of Fred were rife throughout the room. Sketches of ideas for their shop he had made, his prized broom and the bludger he stole when they left Hogwarts, and all the red and gold decorating their room that Fred demanded they put up when they first got placed in Gryffindor all those years ago. George let out a heart wrenching sob and slid down the closed door to curl up in a ball and weep. Late that night Ginny apparated into the room to check on her brother, and found him asleep in the same position. She levitated him to bed and tucked him in, heart grieving for her brother who had lost the other half of his whole.

As the months flew by the family slowly started to heal. Ginny returned to Hogwarts for her final year and became Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. Ron was going steady with Hermione and doing well in his first year training to be an auror, while Harry was helping him move through grief to acceptance. Percy, Bill, and Charlie returned to their jobs across the world though Percy made sure to visit the Burrow whenever he had time, not willing to make the same mistake twice. Molly and Arthur started to heal from the pain of losing a child by seeing how well their other children were doing. Having Percy back was like a soothing balm they didn't know they needed and seeing Ginny smile again as she spoke of school soothed her mother's soul. George however continued in a dark spiral. His family tried to comfort him to show him the ways they were moving on in the hopes that it would help him, but little over a year later nothing had changed. He barely left his room at all, the joke shop was closed indefinitely, and his family struggled to get him to talk.

The turning point came 4 months after the anniversary of Fred's death. Ginny was appointed as the new chaser for the Holyhead Harpies and the entire family, including George, went to see her first game. The game was nearly 20 minutes in when Ginny scored a point and George stood up to clap for his little sister. He hardly managed to stand up before he collapsed and Molly only just caught him before he tumbled over the seating barrier. The family gathered around his still body for what seemed like a lifetime and Ginny stopped mid flight upon seeing her family gathered around a body. When nearly a minute passed and he still didn't wake up, Molly grabbed her son and apparated him to the hospital. The rest of the family followed quickly after, leaving Ginny unsure of what to do. A timeout was called in the game and the Harpies quickly gathered in a team huddle. The captain looked at Ginny.

"Ginny, that was your family right? The one huddled around the collapsed boy." Ginny nodded still dazed after seeing her brother collapse and finding it hard to believe that she may now lose another brother not even two years after the first.

"Ok well there's no way we can get the game rescheduled, but since this is the Blue Whales we should be able to beat them with only 2 chasers."

"Wait, what are you saying?" Ginny asked.

"I'm saying go. Your family has been pretty popular since the dark war what with your relationship with the Chosen One, and you being his pseudo family. Everyone knows you already lost one brother. I don't know what just happened to the kid in the stands but you should be allowed to leave for an emergency. Like I said, we should be able to win with just 2 chasers, and don't worry you'll still have your spot when this is all over. Now go." Ginny found herself hugging her captain in gratitude before running to put her broom up and apparating to the hospital without much more delay.

Upon arriving, she found her family huddled off to the side and hurried over to them. They said the doctors had taken George to see what the cause of his collapse was and that they needed to wait. Finally a doctor called for the family of George Weasley. They all waited attentively to hear what he had to say.

"I'm afraid to say that Mr. Weasley's collapse seems to have been caused by severe malnutrition and a sudden surge of adrenaline that exhausted his body. May I ask what he was doing when he collapsed?"

"Um, we were at Ginny's game. It was her first game as the new chaser for the Holyhead Harpies and we all went to show our support." Molly answered shakily.

"I see, and has your son been to many games like that?"

"Not since... since the war."

"Alright, are you aware that Mr. Weasley has not been eating?"

"I know he's had trouble eating on his own but that's why one of us always eats with him to make sure he actually eats it all."

"I believe he must be throwing it up then. Mr. Weasley shows signs of starvation that are bad enough to have been going on for at least a couple months and I believe that, on top of the excitement of the game today is what caused his collapse today." The entire group could be seen stifling gasps and tears as their fear was confirmed. Mrs. Weasley, strong as ever, spoke up despite her quivering lips.

"Can... Are we able to see him?" The doctor took a look at the large group of family and partners and hesitated.

"It will be good to see friendly faces when he wakes up but such a large group might not be productive." Almost immediately Harry, Hermione, and Fleur stepped back, leaving the original seven to continue forwards. The doctor hesitated once more as the group was still rather large but decided perhaps this would be best. He directed the family to George's room and left. Looking at him under the harsh hospital lights, his family could see how sick he had become. He wasn't sunken in the way you'd expect any starved person to be, but he certainly too skinny to be considered healthy. His pale skin emphasized the point that he refused to leave his room nearly all the time for the past few months. Blinking back tears, Molly sat in a chair next to his bed and grabbed George's hand. Arthur stood behind his wife and put his hands on her shoulders for comfort. Ron took the other side of his bed and Ginny gingerly sat at the foot of it, careful to avoid pushing an of his body around. Bill, Charlie, and Percy all gathered behind their family by the wall.

When George came to, the first thing to register was how week his body felt. The second was the feeling of someone holding his hand and another hand on his leg. With immense effort, he threw his eyes open and the first thing he saw was his mom clutching his hand like a lifeline.

"M-Mom?"

"Oh George!" Was all his mother said and he dazedly switched his focus to the figure at the foot of the bed. What he saw there broke his heart. His strong little sister had tears gathering in her eyes and she looked like she was biting her lips to keep quiet.

"Ginny?"

"George, don't ever do that again! If you don't have the strength to come to my games then don't. I can wait until you get better but just don't do this again. You looked so much like F-Fred. Lying here pale and still." Despite the message Ginny was trying to get across and the tear now sliding down her face, there was only one thing George could focus on.

"You're still in your Quidditch uniform." Ginny scoffed.

"Of course I'm still in my uniform. You think I'm going to finish a stupid when my brother just collapsed in the stands?" With that everything hit George all at once and he looked at the rest of his family too see everyone had at least tears in their eyes if not flat out crying.

"I'm sorry! I didn't realize... I'm sorry." He blurted out and Ron squeezed his hand.

"Hey, we all know you had an even harder time than the rest of us but just promise you'll start taking care of yourself again. You'll eat when we ask you to and you'll leave the house a little more, please." George nodded realizing just how much he had put his family through so soon after Fred.

"I promise." With that a weight seemed to have been lifted off the whole room and George soon fell fast asleep.

After that the family took shifts of two or three to look after him. George stayed hospitalized for the rest of the week. Magic can heal a lot of things but while it could restore him physically back to the epitome of health, the doctors wanted to ensure he was mentally stable as well. While it still hurt immensely to even think about Fred, George realized his depression wasn't helping anyone and so he agreed to work through it.

Months passed and George started to actually heal. He reopened Weasley Wizard Wheezes in time for the students heading off to their spring semesters. It was during his time working there that he ran into Angelina Johnson again. There was some casual flirting that eventually lead to a real serious date. After multiple dates, George realized this was what he needed to really start living again. His family was great but he needed to get out in the world and socialize with people who weren't them. Thinking about Fred would always hurt but the best way for him to honor his twin would be to live his life to the fullest and he was damn well determined to do that from here on out.


End file.
